Disposable absorbent articles, such as sanitary napkins worn by women, must fulfill numerous requirements in order to be considered satisfactory for use. From the standpoint of the consumer using the disposable absorbent article, efficient absorption and retention of liquid and other discharges from the human body must be provided, and possible soiling of the wearers body or the wearers garment should be avoided. In addition, the absorbent article should be comfortable for a user to wear. The absorbent article should therefore be able to individually conform to the shape of the wearers body, so that the wearer is not hindered by the absorbent article. Ideally, the absorbent article should not be perceived by the wearer at all when worn. On the other hand, the absorbent article should not be too soft and deformable, otherwise bunching, twisting or roping of the absorbent article or lumping of the absorbent layer may occur, when the article is worn. This would seriously deteriorate the performance of the absorbent article and influence negatively the wearing comfort. Furthermore, the absorbent article and especially the absorbent layer must have sufficient structural integrity to withstand the forces exerted onto the absorbent article when worn. At the same time, the absorbent article should be thin so that the absorbent article may be worn in an inconspicuous manner. From the manufacturer's point of view, the materials used to produce the absorbent article must be suitable for mass production at very high production rates. The materials used to produce the absorbent article must therefore be easily obtained and be of relatively low cost. Furthermore, the materials must be easily processed at high speeds, which often include considerable forces and tensions being applied to the material, especially in the machine direction.
In order to increase the wearing comfort of sanitary napkins it has been suggested in the art to provide these articles with stretchability or increased flexibility. One method suggested in the art is to provide slits in the materials used to form the absorbent article. Excessive extensibility of an absorbent layer in the longitudinal direction, which is generally the machine direction, will make it very difficult to prepare such an absorbent layer on a production line designed for very high production rates (high speeds). Furthermore, for the absorbent article to be able to conform to the body of the wearer, the absorbent layer should be sufficiently extensible in both the longitudinal and lateral direction, while maintaining sufficient strength in both directions. At the same time, care must be taken not to significantly reduce the flexural resistance of the absorbent article. If the flexural resistance is reduced too much, the absorbent article will bunch, twist or rope or form lumps when the article is worn. Additionally, the articles might not be accepted by the consumer if the absorbent article feels too flexible, i.e. flimsy or flabby, thereby creating the impression that the article will not provide sufficient protection against the soiling of the garment to be protected. Furthermore, care should be taken that the formation of slits in the absorbent layer does not impair the efficiency of liquid intake, liquid distribution and liquid retention, due to the quick passage of liquid through the absorbent layer via the cuts or apertures formed therein.
A current trend in feminine hygiene products is to provide these products with aesthetic features such as colors, apertures and embossing to provide the consumer with a sense that the feminine hygiene products will be effective in absorbing bodily fluids. Color can be used to show the consumer or user that the product has new features, absorbency, and leakage protection.
There is a need in the art to provide an absorbent article which is extensible and highly conformable to the body of the wearer, while at the same time maintaining sufficient structural strength to avoid bunching, twisting or roping and the formation of lumps. In addition, there is a need in the art to make efficient usage of the absorbent capacity of the absorbent layer, and having the ability to produce the absorbent layer at high production rates (high speeds) at relatively reasonable or low cost. In addition, there is a need to provide additional color or features to absorbent products and to provide a way to convey these additional features to the consumer or user of these products.